Eggplant pizza recipe

Add an exotic touch to the everyday veggie pizza

This recipe makes four servings



Ingredients

 
Toppings
1 large eggplant 

Olive oil, up to 45 mL (3 Tbsp.)

Fresh basil

1 small red onion, sliced

1 medium red pepper, sliced

75 mL (1/3 cup) mozzarella, grated

Freshly ground black pepper 

30 mL (2 Tbsp.) Parmesan or Asiago cheese, thickly grated

30 mL (2 Tbsp.) olive oil

30 mL (2 Tbsp.) garlic, minced

2.5 mL (½ tsp.) dried hot red pepper flakes



Dough
1 pkg. fast-acting yeast (¼ oz.)

150 mL (2/3 cup) warm water

400 mL (1 2/3 cup) all-purpose flour
2 mL (½ tsp.) salt

30 mL (2 Tbsp.) olive oil


Instructions

1. Broil eggplant

Cut eggplant into 1/3-inch-thick rounds and arrange in 1 layer on a parchment paper-lined large baking sheet. Lightly brush both sides with oil and season with salt. Broil 7.5 cm (3 in.) from heat until golden brown and tender, 3 to 8 minutes on each side.



2. Make dough

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Blend flour and salt in a food processor. Add oil and blend. With motor running, add yeast mixture all at once, blending until dough forms a ball. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface 5 minutes. Put in an oiled large bowl and turn to coat. Let rise, covered with plastic wrap, in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1¼ hours.

While dough is rising, put a pizza stone on lowest rack of oven (remove other racks) and preheat oven to 200°C (500°F). Dust dough with flour on a floured surface, then shape and stretch into a 30-cm (12-in.) round. Sprinkle a baker’s peel generously with flour and carefully transfer dough to it. Jerk peel; if dough sticks, lift it and sprinkle flour underneath.



3. Assemble pizza

Sauté the red onion and red 
pepper lightly in 15 mL (1 Tbsp.) olive oil, spread over dough to edge, sprinkle mozzarella. Cover with eggplant, overlapping it, and add thin Parmesan cheese curls.

Heat oil in a small skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then cook garlic and red pepper, stirring, until just fragrant, 30 to 40 seconds. Spoon evenly over eggplant. Top with minced fresh basil.